Throughout, United Crushers teases with an array of complex stick-work and trickling synths. Everything suggests that Poliça have finally drawn straws and found something to stick with--and they definitely haven’t picked the shortest.

This whirlwind of self-discovery later in life plays out through individual tales of his romantic encounters, simultaneously juvenile and remarkably profound.

It’s a record in its creator’s image; curious, insightful, eclectic and - most of all--good fun, against the odds.

Across its 13 tracks, there’s a chemistry that can come only via years of experience and companionship, and the result is an album that feels at once nostalgic and enchanting.

Tearing its way through nine songs of heady, humid, pop music in quick, effortless succession, La Roux is quickly establishing herself as a formidable force of pop, and it will be interesting to see where Elly Jackson goes from here.

[Tracer] is more expansive and impressive than their previous output.

‘A Bit of Previous’ remains an enjoyably sunny listen, even if one frequently inflected with melancholy.

Snarling, quick-witted one-liners are Girlpool’s absolute forte, along with a minimal, as-the-crow-flies approach to writing that wastes no time hitting on each vital melody.

Faris Badwan’s cool vocal command - something which belies the fact that lyrically, ‘Night Life’ is unafraid to reckon with the violence and chaos of the present moment. He’s done some of the finest writing of his career here, on a record where The Horrors burn the midnight oil with a new intensity.

A great advert for Australia’s most incendiary live band.

‘Weird Faith’ sees Diaz defiant, ready to let her guard down again, with the title essentially referring to her faith in love; her work here evokes the gut-wrenching melodies and storytelling prowess of American supergroup boygenius.

‘Anime, Trauma and Divorce’ is as wry as documents of desperate times get. Life may have given Open Mike Eagle some fresh citrus fruit, but this resulting record is some sweet, sweet lemonade.

Her tenth studio album might be written about Cat Power’s own journey, but it also doubles as an essential compass for finding your way through the dark.

To call ‘Topical Dancer’ pure fun feels to diminish the real sentiment behind the lyrics; to pigeonhole it as wholly political does down the infectiousness that runs through its core.

Mixed Emotions' has a track for every mood without ever sounding in the least bit forced or contrived... Finger clicking good.

Their most ambitious work to date, ‘Myself In The Way’ sees them enter a new world of expansive sound.

The only real criticism is that, in trying to present all of her sides, Nao hasn’t been ruthless enough in the cutting room. At eighteen tracks, For All We Know feels its length but, to be fair, it’s hard to suggest what to trim.

The most complete result of his vision he’s committed to record thus far.

As a body of work, it sounds eerie and complex while still remaining delicate and cohesive and it’s a bold and well-rounded debut.

You Can Do Better is a perfect execution of a well thought out plan.

An intelligent, stylish pop record.

She conveys a depth of emotional exploration in her lyrics that goes beyond even her previous work and sets Petal up as an affecting songwriter.

Multiple minute-long interludes flesh Wildflower out, feeling like breaks to an all-out, never-ending stage show. It needed to take something substantial to feel satisfied after those sixteen long years, and The Avalanches have gone beyond their calling.

Reptar have pieced emotions together, both euphoric and heartbreaking, to create a debut that, although perhaps too varied in places, is a great starting point for the quartet.

Patrick is found confronting familiar ideas of inner contentment alongside upbeat surface shine on this bittersweet work - full of charm and integrity

Some of these songs could have been picked out from different eras altogether, they’re from such distant worlds. But once this record finds its structure, its own voice beyond the ugly context, it’s hard to imagining it arriving in any other form.

The duo have well established their trademark sound, and sonically ‘Ceremony’ pushes this to new extremes - the synths are darker, the drums are heavier, the vocals more melancholic than anything fans would have previously heard from them, yet still catchy as hell.

‘Friend of a Friend’ is an oasis of normality on this album, providing a piano ballad that could easily be a Neil Young deep cut, but for the most part this album is exactly what a side project should be – all the ideas too weird to fit anywhere else.